BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, thousands of Sri Lankan migrant workers are at a high risk of losing their jobs, the Ethera Api Organisation (EAO) alleged yesterday (10). EAO Secretary Lakshman Nipunarachchi told The Morning that Sri Lanka would lose over 100,000 of foreign employment opportunities due to the Covid-19 outbreak. According to the EAO, migrant workers in the Middle Eastern countries are suffering greatly and are being forced to stay at home as their workplaces are closed. The country's overseas job market and the remittance inflow are likely to be severely affected as already, a large number of Sri Lankan migrants have lost their jobs. Many migrant workers are experiencing pay cuts as industries in large numbers have been shut down due to the pandemic. “All industries are closed at present and houses are avoiding taking foreign workers,” he stressed. “A section of Sri Lankan expatriates have been brought back to the country but the majority was still stuck in those countries,” he noted. Meanwhile, at last week’s Cabinet meeting, the Government has decided to repatriate the Sri Lankan workers in the Middle East next, after all the students are brought back to the country. It is expected to bring down persons in the Maldives, Kuwait, and Dubai who need to come back to Sri Lanka. Accordingly, Sri Lankans will be repatriated, providing opportunity for the individuals who claim that they need to return to Sri Lanka, and will be sent to quarantine centres.